xxxx . ♪ >> yeah! asia championship. >> in may 2019, hong kong hosted the preliminary round of an international video game event.

the finals will be held in tokyo with prizes worth a total of 900,000 u.s. dollars. esports or competitive videogaming is making headlines as a new spin on traditional sports. game genres include combat sports, racing and soccer. in some placace the number of global competitors at over 100 million. at the 2018 asian games in indonesia, esports w were featud as a demonstration sport. at the 2022 games in china, they will become an official sport. both public and private groups in hong kong are working together to expand its esports industry.

>> we'll b be connecting other neighboring cities, and we can be a hub for esports. >> the city's first dedicated esports venue has been built in central hong kong. it's one of the biggest such faces in asia. a top corporate group has put together a pro-gaming team and plans to take them global. there are even training programs in schools specializing in esports. esports is attraracting attenti from across the globe. hong kong citizens and its government have a unique strategy to land a piece of this enormous market.

this is a busy shopping district popular with young people. it's also home to hong kong's first esports stadium, a dedicated event space. it opened in january 2019 in the first floor and basement of this building. the first floor is for casual play in new gamers. 150 of the newest computers are available with over 20 different video games. the stadium is open 24 hours a day and is free to entnter. gaming costs around 4 u.s. dollllars an hour. a very reasonable price point.

>> hong kong-based startup cyber game arena or cga built and manages the stadium. total construction costs came to 3.5 million u.s. dollars. over 40 different companies and organizations invested. esports products made by these investors are also available at the stadium. so what's downstairs? a huge space for esports contests and other events. today there's a competition

hosted by japanese game manufacturer. the contest tours 27 locations. but this is its first time in hong kong. ♪ a hundred gamers are taking part in the tournament. they come from hong kong, mainland china, canada, australia, and japan. the contest is being streamed online so people can watch from all over the world. cga provides the space and the equipment and also handles the broadcast. the costs are paid by the organizers. the company hopes to showcase the thrill of gaming and to sell more software and character goods. events like this are held every week. the stadium expects 1.2 million visitors each year.the stadium

visitors each year. cga was set up six years ago by these three men. they were in junior high together. >> cga's head office is in the business district of hong kong. the team has grown from three to 100 people that. includes art directors, web designers, and stadium staff.

the firm handles pr and venue decor for esports events as well. the stadium is booked up to a year in advance for weekend events. ryan xiao is head of cga. him and his co-founders are all serious is head of cga. him and his co-founders are all serio is head of cga. him and his co-founders are all serio is head of cga. him and his co-founders are all serio is head of cga. him and his co-founders are all serioc is head of cga. him and his co-founders are all serioh is head of cga. him and his co-founders are all serioow is head of cga. him and his co-founders are all serious gamers. if, in 2003, they were in junior high and played on the same team for an esports tournament, which they won. they all fell further in love with esports and agreed they wanted somewhere in hong kong where they could play regularly. in 2012, the used money they made by.

named cyber game arrest ena. it consisted of ten computers in one room of a multi-tenant building as the only place for gamers could participate in esports events. it gradually gained more and more fans. their big opportunity came in 2015. ryan and the others urged the influential chamber of hong kong computer industry to hold hong kong's first major esports tournament. the venue was the city's largest exhibition hall with 15 different games played over four days. the event attracted 12,000 visitors.

>> their success didn't go unnoticed by the hong kong government. in 2017 the tourist board held an event that mixed esports and mumusic. cga was invited to help run the event. ryan andnd his team wanted peop who were new to esports to get involved. so they set up dance contests to encourage a variety of visitito. fansns c camerom h hong kong, maland china, and even e europe. the event hosted 30,000 people in just three days. >> and since hong kong is very

open and very reemerging the east and west culture, we'll be connecting other neighboring city, and we can be a hub for esport. we believe that by creating a good, vibrant ecosystem, we will develop new startup companies, new games, new events, new content for our young people. and at the end of the day, wewe can create more employment. >> hong kong's growing interest in esports helped ryan and his co-founders open cga esports stadium in january 2019. the government provided support helping with publicity. the project was a big success for both public and private partners. meanwhile, hong kong's government has gone on to find a

new base to serve as their esports hub. this complex is in the east of hong kong and home to many i.t. and tech firms. a huge esports stadium has been built here, large enough for a thousand spectators. the main statage is surrounded stadium-style seating enabling large crowds to spectate tournaments together. as esports takes off, major businesses are also spotting new opportunities. emperor group is one of hong kong's biggest corporate conglomerates. the group includes a jewelry company, a securities firm, hotels, and even a talent agency. in 2017, it added a new company to its lineup.

it began by hding a new tournament called ththe emror cup.p. with prizes totaling some 30,000 u.s. dollars, it attracted over 200 participants. thee group also formed its own pro team.m. it a assignened n nine gamams w currenently livive and t train together in taiwan, a pro-gaming power house and play in n contes around the w world.

>> to coach the team, the company brought on one of hong kong's top former professionals. totoys. toyz was recruited for a taiwanese team at just 14 years old and has spent nearly a decade gaming professionally. toyz is a hero to many young esports fans in hong kong.

he began making wave at age 12. league of legends which is played by 90 million people worldwide. he represented taiwan at a major contest. his team took the world title. esports opened up a new world for toyz, and he takes time every week to help promote it. he uploads footage of himself gaming along with commentary.

toyz's techniques and commentary are a hit. and the streams attract anywhere from 300 to o 700,000 viewers. ♪ >> as a coach, toyz wants to send a hong kong team to the

2022 asian games in china. and he wants them to win. the increased attention on professional gaming is attracting new business investment. this sports center is close to hong kong's business district. there's a crowd of people near the basketball courts. this is an extracurricular esports school.

the school was set up by a privatee investor. the 50 or so students are a age between five and 60. but the majority are in element school. good reaction times are vital in gaming. and most professional gamers hit their peak in their teens. more and more kids are eager to start training early. after practice, coaches and students analyze their game play. the school is known for its detailed feedback from coaches who were once competitive gamers themselves.

another class focuses on racing. the equipment was built specially by the school for ten students to race at once. honing their skills against one another also helps students learn social skills. 14-year-old faye has been coming for six months. he used to skip school but is much more focused after starting esports.

>> cga esports stadium is busy preparing for another big contest. the gamers will be competing in monster strife, a game from a japanese company. designed for the smartptphone, players launch their monster with a swipe of their finger, similar to pinball. the quicker players can defeat enemies, the better. the contest began in 2014 in

japan. now the manufacturer is looking to expand. they're holding preliminary rounds in hong kong with the winner invited to the main contest in japan. the winning prize is 350,000 u.s. dollars. for cga, it's a golden opportunity to showcase the new popularity of esports in hong kong. someone is here from the manufacturer hosting the contest.

>> these four are team stormstriker. they have a good chance of winning the competition. leader gary is a magazine editor and a well known hong kong gamer. he met the other members online and suggested they join his team. today they're meeting in a karaoke room, but they aren't there to sing. they're going to train. at the tournament, they will take turns to attack. they need to react quickly and accurately.

>> the day of the contest there's a long line outside the stadium.

character merchandise is selling like hot cakes. and long last, the competition begins. 20 teams will take part in the initial rounds before the top five go on to the finals. the entire contest is being livestreamed to an international audience. gary's team are strong contenders and make it to the final with no problem. they need to win three times to make it to japan. they face a team of local gamers.

their opponents onn the right side of the screen land some early hits. the strikers are trailing behind. they're still on the back foot as the match draws to a close. layla makes her final attack. >> very close, very close. very nervous. but luckily we made it. >> time for their second fight.

they're facing the top-scoring team from the initial round. storm striker comes out strong and holds their lead. but then. layla slips and makes a mistake. they lose at the last moment. falling at the final hurdle. the winners are a team of office workers. they win 3,500 u.s. dollars in prize money and a ticket to the main contest.

cga has begun preparing for a big summer event. this year will be hong kong's third esports festival. all sponsored by the government. they hope to attract their

biggest ever crowd of 100,000 people over three days. the gamers taking part are coming from further afield as well, not just asia but europe, oceania and the americas. pro-gaming is taking off in hong kong. already one of asia's top financial hubs, the city hopes to become just as famous for the latest esports.

♪ >> the relocation of the u.s. military on okinawa all this week on "france 24." ♪ >> the u.k.'s new prime minister, boris johnson takes his bid to get brexit concessions from berlin. emmanuel macron said a no deal brexit would be the u.k.'s fafault, not the e.'s. the new prime minister for suit on -- sudan. he previously worked for the u.n..

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